#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Born a Girl: It Takes Courage

Posted on by Nanette McGuinness
a cluster of five girls of different ethnicities against a reddish-orange backgraound with green, purple, and orange leaves around them and white lettering for the title and subtitle in the upper left corner

Equal parts Our Bodies, Ourselves, Margaret Mead, and biology/history explainer, Born a Girl: It Takes Courage is an approachable feminist manifesto for today's teens that embraces difficult topics. Organized around the fictionalized stories of five teenage girls---one each from Nepal, France, Afghanistan, Kenya, and Mexico---this nonfiction YA illustrated book lays out a frank, sympathetic description … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Born a Girl: It Takes Courage

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Wankijũ, Child of Mine

Posted on by Klem-Marí Cajigas

Coming of age stories are a often visited theme in young adult and even middle grades literature. It is not a common theme in picture books, however. Forthcoming from Catalyst Press, Wankijũ, Child of Mine is a picture book bildungsroman of a Kenyan girlhood. Like other titles from Catalyst Press, it gives pride of place … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Wankijũ, Child of Mine

#Translationthurs: The Perfect Nine by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

Posted on by winstonsdad

Now I have reached 2021, and I had to pick this book as I haven't had a book from Africa in my choices. This writer is always a name that is on the list of writers who could win the Booker and is near the top of that list. He originally wrote his first book … Continue reading #Translationthurs: The Perfect Nine by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

#Veganuary: The Postcolonial Animal: African Literature and Posthuman Ethics

Posted on by fulanivegan

The Postcolonial Animal: African Literature and Posthuman Ethics by Evan Maina Mwanga African culture is intimately connected with animals, from literature to spirituality; non-human animals are central to African beliefs and practices. Animals are featured extensively in African literature and are prominent in philosophy and political movements. But despite this, Africans are rarely featured in … Continue reading #Veganuary: The Postcolonial Animal: African Literature and Posthuman Ethics

The Booktrekker: Kenya

Posted on by giarrizzo

READ Dust, by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, opens with the shooting death of a young man on the streets of Nairobi. He is killed by the police after stealing back the car that was stolen from him. The young man’s name is Moses Ebewesit Odidi Oganda (Odidi), and his death shatters his family: his estranged father Nyipir, … Continue reading The Booktrekker: Kenya

Title Pick: Forbidden Fruit by Stanley Gazemba

Posted on by Global Literature in Libraries Initiative

Desperate to make ends meet, Ombima commits a “harmless” crime. When he tries to conceal his misdeed, the simple farm laborer becomes a reluctant participant in a sinister affair. If discovered, the consequences could be disastrous for Ombima’s family, friends, and a spate of unwitting, gossipy villagers. A delicious tale of greed, lust, and betrayal, … Continue reading Title Pick: Forbidden Fruit by Stanley Gazemba

USBBY Outstanding International Book Pick: Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees by Franck Prévot

Posted on by Global Literature in Libraries Initiative

Wangari Maathai said, “Trees are living symbols of peace and hope.” The trees that she and her Green Belt Movement planted are more than symbols, they are the result of the hard work of the women she enlisted to replant Kenya’s forests, replenish the wildlife, and instill democracy among the people. This simply told story … Continue reading USBBY Outstanding International Book Pick: Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees by Franck Prévot